If the Philadephia Eagles cut embattled wideout Riley Cooper, he would be picked up by another team. That’s the opinion of unnamed NFL executives in a USA Today report. The executives agreed that the Eagles wouldn’t be able to trade Cooper.

The Eagles excused Cooper from team activities on Friday, saying he would be sent into counseling in the aftermath of his racial slur in a video. That decision came after noticeable unrest and division at camp on Thursday, as Cooper practiced with team.

There were strong remarks on and off the record that indicated teammates weren’t going to get past the incident any time soon.

"Very tough to trade him right now," one executive told USA Today. "Time passes—not sure how much time—but he would be signed if cut."

Eagles coach Chip Kelly continues to insist the team has no plans to release Cooper. But if that thinking changed and Cooper were cut, the unnamed executive estimated it would take a couple of months before another team signed him.

Cooper, 25, has put up 46 receptions for 679 yards and five touchdowns in his three seasons with the Eagles. He has worked mostly as a fourth or fifth receiver so far in his career, but the loss of Jeremy Maclin to a torn ACL moved him up the depth chart and into a potential starting role.

Cooper (6-3, 222) is the Eagles’ biggest receiver and has some value as a red zone threat. Coupled with good speed—he ran a 4.53 40 at the 2010 Scouting Combine—and the thinking is he would find a job with another team.

A second executive pointed to a similar situation with Kerry Collins in 1997, when he was with the Carolina Panthers after being selected in the first round in 1995. Collins used the same racial slur during a night out with teammates at the end of training camp in 1997. He was released during the 1998 season but went on to a 17-year career.

"Can never say never," the second executive said. "All it takes is for one team to have an interest. After all, Kerry Collins came back after his situation in Carolina.

"But (Cooper is) not a high-end player, so a lot of teams won't want to deal with the issue in or out of their building."

A third executive told USA Today that with the removal of Cooper from camp, he believes the Eagles are simply buying time for media coverage to subside. He expects them to keep Cooper on the roster.

"I would assume that's what they'd do," he said. "But a leave of absence is a weird thing. … I got the feeling they were distancing themselves."